It is quite impossible to summarize the importance of William Ellery Channing to the early Unitarian movement, so I encourage you to read the excellent biography on the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society’s Biographies pages for more information.

This small piece of writing, among all his wonderful sermons, essays and orations, has long resonated with me — I think I read it during my first year as a member of a Unitarian Universalist church, and it solidified to me that I was, indeed, in the right place.

UPDATE: Though I still highly recommend that you read about William Ellery Channing at the above link, I mistakenly attributed this poem to him instead of his nephew, William Henry Channing. Lot of talent in that family! You can read a little bit about William Henry at Wikipedia.

My Symphony

by Rev. William Henry Channing (1810-1884)

To live content with small means.
To seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion.
To be worthy not respectable,
and wealthy not rich.
To study hard, think quietly, talk gently,
act frankly, to listen to stars, birds, babes,
and sages with open heart, to bear all cheerfully,
do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never.
In a word, to let the spiritual,
unbidden and unconscious,
grow up through the common.
This is to be my symphony.

Source: Rev. William Henry Channing, “My Symphony,” quoted in numerous places including transcendentalists.com.